There's something 'bout you

The Great Hall was alive with chatter and cheer. Every table was piled high with food, the students tearing into it relentlessly, and it just kept coming. The Hogwarts House Elves were masters at their craft, kept every dish filled to the brim so that no one would go without.

Sirius was absolutely ravenous, tearing meat off a drumstick with a ferocity probably more suited for Moony, but it was just so damned good, and Sirius was so damned happy. It was great to be back at the castle, back home, especially after the downright dreary summer break.

Hanging out with Prongs was great and all, but living with his best friend was, well… A little touchy sometimes. It was somehow much different from bunking with the other Gryffindor boys, probably because it was just the two of them, Padfoot and Prongs, stuck together 24/7. Add on the misfortune of both teenagers missing their respective girlfriends, and it was sort of a shit storm of loneliness, angst, and an inordinate amount of testosterone.

They really should have been prepared for it, though. It wasn’t as if Sirius living with the Potters was a new development. He’d been spending every break with them since the summer of last year (some even before that, when he could get away with it). This time there was just some added stress, and not just from the glaring absence of Lily and Marlene.

No, there was much more going on, something that reached much farther than the Potter household, spanning the entire continent and then some. At first, they were just whispers, rumors of a rising power, a rising wizard with plans for a new world. Sirius had been hearing these whispers for what felt like ages. He grew up listening to them, these ideals and agendas. Sirius wasn’t worried about them for a long time.

But recently, the whispers had grown. They weren’t just voices anymore. Weren’t simple threats. They were raids and missing persons and murder. They were a skull and snake lighting up the night sky, a calling card for the wizards in silver masks—Death Eaters. The whispers now had a name, and it was Lord Voldemort.

Thankfully, for the first time in a couple months, Sirius was able to cast those thoughts away, though. He was back with his best friends—all of them—and they were at Hogwarts, stuffing themselves silly. Prongs sat across from Sirius, pretzel rods stuck in each nostril while holding a completely serious conversation with Wormtail, and Lily was a mess of giggles beside him. Sirius grinned, glanced at Marlene who was pressed as close to him as humanly possible.

“Merlin, it’s good to be back,” Sirius said after swallowing a particularly large bite. “I cannot begin to explain how miserable this summer was.”

“Oi! I take offense to that,” James shouted, pulling the pretzels from his nose and pointing them straight at Sirius who held a hand out in an attempt to deflect any bogeys that might have flown his way.

“It wasn’t you, mate,” Sirius amended. “It was… Everything.” He waved his fingers. “It was just gloomy.”

“People are scared,” Remus spoke, looking up from his Charms textbook. “Everyone can feel that something’s wrong. It’s like—”

He stopped suddenly, head tilting to the side, and Sirius watched in confusion as his friend sniffed the air one… twice… three times…

“What is it, Moony?” But the other boy wasn’t listening, not even a little. Instead, he craned his neck to look over the heads of other students as if searching for something.

Sirius shrugged it off, just Moony being Moony, and redirected his attention to Marlene who was busy poking peas around on her plate. “You okay, love?”

“Hm?” She looked at him with big, bright eyes, and Sirius was momentarily taken aback by how bloody beautiful she was. Graceful as a dancer with her long legs, clear pale skin, wavy blonde hair, and a smile to die for. Gods, how did he get so lucky again?

“What’re you looking at?”

“You,” he admitted without shame, smirking playfully so that she blushed.

Right. That’s how. You are one smooth criminal, Black.

Marlene giggled and gently shouldered into him, muttered a low, “Silly,” while looking back at her peas.

As much as Sirius had made his girlfriend smile since reuniting, he could tell something was a little off. It didn’t take long to figure out; Marlene was nervous, just like everybody else, and Sirius couldn’t blame her because he was nervous, too.

A storm was brewing outside the castle walls, and Sirius had a sick feeling it would have the power to wipe out everything in its path.



Willa couldn’t help but feel like everyone was staring at her when she stepped into the great hall, an absolutely ridiculous notion as about six people turned to look at her tops. Still, the paranoia was so deeply ingrained inside of her, she just couldn’t help it, not after the way this summer had gone.

At least she hadn’t had to get sorted in front of everybody like a first year. No, Willa was able to do that in private, or mostly private. Her mother and father had been there alongside the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall. The four had watched thoughtfully as the ancient hat deliberated on top of her head, humming and thinking out loud until finally announcing, “Yes, yes, Ravenclaw, without a doubt!”

That didn’t mean much to Willa or her parents, neither of them having attended the wizard school, but both the professors seemed pleased. Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure, or some nonsense like that.

Willa’s small family stayed to have dinner with Dumbledore and McGonagall, discussing Willa’s condition, what measures would be taken to ensure her safety. It was a joyful conversation that Willa was more than happy to get away from, a mercy shown to her by the Headmaster himself when he offered to have a House Elf show her to the Ravenclaw common room, suggesting she get situated as best she could before the rest of the students arrived the upcoming Sunday evening.

Willa tried to get comfortable. She really did. But, it was hard not to worry knowing that her parents had to go back out there. She would be more at ease if they still had a pack to return to, but they didn’t. They were deserters, and because of that, they were in danger. All three of them.

Hogwarts was the safest place for Willa. She had spent her childhood and adolescence learning magic with the other young lycans, the large family never giving much credit to formal education, but now… Well, Willa didn’t really have a choice. She had to hide in the fortress of a school while her parents ran.

The plan was to lay low for the year, pray that everything blew over (unlikely), then join her parents once again. Willa would do her best in her classes despite probably being a little behind in them, play nice with the other kids, and take the Wolfsbane brewed for her every single night. Then, when the full moon hit, she would go off to the broom-shed by the Quidditch pitch, transform, and curl up with all her remaining mental faculties. That would be different, definitely something Willa would have to get used to.

It was something to worry about when it got closer, though. For now, Willa just needed to focus on coming off as normal to her new classmates and…

What is that…?

Willa subtly sniffed the air, angling her head slightly and breathing in. There was something familiar. Through the aromas of countless foods and the pheromones that were being given off by hundreds of excited students, Willa could pick up just a hint of… Wolf. There was no mistaking it. Willa had spent her entire life around other werewolves, and though they all smelled different, they still shared a common scent, an underlying earthy tone, and Willa was picking up on it right there, in the middle of Hogwarts’ Great Hall.

Doing her best to be sneaky, Willa peered through the heads of happily chattering children, eyes scanning each table.

Another Ravenclaw? No. A Hufflepuff? No. Slytherin? Nope. Gryffindor?

Willa nearly jumped in her seat when her eyes landed on a brown-haired boy two tables down, and it wasn’t because of the scars on his face. No, it was because the stranger was already staring right at Willa, large brown eyes completely locked onto her. His nostrils flared for a moment, probably trying to catch her scent like she had his, then he cocked his head to one side and lifted an eyebrow.

There was a silent question being asked, and Willa didn’t see the harm in answering what the stranger likely already knew on some level, so she nodded her head.

She was not prepared for the broad smile the boy showed in response, open and friendly and so incredibly warm.

This was it, the beginning of their final year at Hogwarts. This was supposed to be a good year, full of shenanigans. A year to remember is what some might even describe it as. This was the year they would go through their classes for the last time as they all figured out what to do next, after Hogwarts. Marlene had thought about this year often over the last six years really. She'd thought about all the fun she would have with her friends, all the trouble they'd get into, all the late night study sessions, everything. She had looked forward to it even. Marlene had never been afraid of the future, she'd always welcomed it with welcome arms ready for whatever was waiting on the next page of the story. Until recently, everything was different.

As she sat in the great hall pushing her peas around on her plate it began to dawn on her that she was not only nervous, but scared. There was a war brewing outside the walls of Hogwarts right now, and that war wasn't one that they didn't need to worry about because it had no effect on them. This was a war that had already started to change the course of everything. This war demanded things that Marlene didn't like to think about. And she could deny it all she wanted, but regardless she knew that the moment they left these walls the options were simple, join the fight against Voldemort.

"Can we all make a promise right now?" Marlene piped up and looked between her friends. "We all know what's going on outside these walls. We all know what's coming after we leave here at the end of this year, but can we all promise right here and right now that we won't let that stop us from having the best year?" She asked with a small smile.

Marlene knew that everyone wanted that, there was no way they wanted this year to be terrible, but for her own peace of mind she supposed she just needed to say it out loud.

"I mean I thought that was already the plan," James laughed before he leaned over to bump shoulders with Marlene.

"God you are insufferable Potter, no wonder Sirius had a gloomy summer. He had to put up with you," Marlene replied before she smiled and leaned over to bump shoulders with him back.

James scoffed, "Excuse you, Marls but I am a blast to be around. And Padfoot just said it wasn't me who made his summer gloomy. It was probably you and the fact that you didn't write at all," he said shrugging before he grabbed the remaining roll off her plate and took a bite.

"I did write! I mean not as much as I would've liked, but I told you guys at the end of the year last year that I was going to be busy this summer and not able to write nearly as much as I normal," She said before snatching her roll back from James and sending him a smug smile. "This was mine,"

---

Remus hadn't meant to totally stop talking mid sentence but he'd caught a scent that he couldn't ignore. It was one that he would easily be able to pick out regardless of his circumstances. There was another werewolf at Hogwarts. And he knew whoever it was had to be a new student because he had never smelled another werewolf here. Truthfully he hadn't even known there were other werewolves around here. Mostly because no one would talk to him about werewolves. They wouldn't tell him what it meant for him other than he was cursed. And they certainly hadn't told him that there were others who were able to attend Hogwarts.

This was almost like weird dream come true for him. He'd never met another werewolf before, he'd never had anyone to talk to about the life that he lived, or how to adapt to things. Honestly, everything he knew he'd figured out on his own. It wasn't like he'd been able to ask anyone though. His parents weren't werewolves, none of his friends were, and well it wasn't like there was a pack of them on the grounds he could talk to. When he saw her walk into the great hall and over to the Ravenclaw table he knew that he had to talk to her. Even if she decided not to help him, given he felt like he'd done pretty good so far, she should have a friend who knew what she went through.

"Remus are you awake in there?" He heard Lily asked only to blink and pull his gaze away from the girl he's seen from across the great hall only to see Lily's hand waving in front of his face.

"Wh- yea," he said nodding his head. "I didn't mean to doze off, sorry guys," he said before he looked around at everyone trying to figure out what was going on around him that he'd missed.

"They're arguing over why Sirius' summer was so gloomy. But I think Marlene's onto something, I mean he did have to spend the whole summer alone with James," Lily joked towards James before she smiling over at Remus.

Remus laughed and returned the smile. "Clearly Prongs you've somehow offended the women in our lives,"

Remus wasn't sure what needed to be done, or how even it would get done, but he was pretty determined to make sure this year wasn't all terrible. He didn't want them to spend the year in tension, it was their last year together, and they should at least try and have some fun.

[ I'm sorry if this was bad ]

@ eraserhead.

"A toast!" Sirius bellowed, actually standing up from his place on the bench and holding out his goblet of juice. "To our last year at Hogwarts. I promise to fill it with as much tom-foolery as I can possibly manage!"

Prongs held up his own cup, temporarily forgetting about the snatched dinner roll. "Yes, I vow to enrich all of your lives in whatever way I can. Fanged frisbees, bogey hexes, enchanted stuffed animals, you name it!"

"Oi, oi, oi," Sirius raised a hand to make an invisible cut in front of his throat. "Don't give all our secrets away. 'specially not with McGoogly watching us like she is." Everyone at the table turned at the same time, looking toward the head table and seeing the severe professor staring at all of them with a challenging expression, a silent try something. I dare you.

"God, she's gonna miss us so much."

"She'll be lost with you, I'm sure," Marlene hummed, offering Sirius a sly smile.

The remainder of the feast was spent in good spirits, tales of the summer being passed around the table, slightly embellished on Sirius' part, but where's the harm in a little exaggeration? For entertainment purposes only. Wormtail told them his newest dirty jokes, much to the disdain of Marlene and Lily, but they left Sirius and James rolling and even earned one of those nose-laughs from Remus.

At the end of it all, they left the hall and trudged through the castle corridors. Sirius walked hand-in-hand with Marlene, grinning at her every few steps. It was so great to be back with her. He had missed her terribly.

Wonder if the House Elves fixed the staircase to the girls' dorms, Sirius idly mused. He and Prongs had finally figured out how to keep it from turning into a slide, only took them five and a half years, but Sirius was willing to bet a galleon those pesky little fuckers noticed and set it back to its default state. It would take them another couple of months to override the charm again.

"Where's Rem?" Lily asked as soon as they all stepped through the portrait hole, now obviously down one werewolf.

"Beats me," Prongs shrugged. "He was acting strange through the feast, though. Maybe he wanted to go to the shack or something?"

"Hm," Sirius let himself be bothered for all of a second before feeling the weight of Marlene's hand in his again. No time for worries, he reminded himself. This is a time of celebration.

Sirius turned to his girlfriend with his brightest smile, the one that always made her turn a little pink. "How're you feeling, love? Up for a game of Exploding Snap?"



Small-talk among the Ravenclaw table was painful. Willa really didn't want anything to do with it, but she powered through a couple hours, unable to completely ignore the heavy gaze and scent coming from the Gryffindor boy. It was a huge relief when the students were dismissed (ordered really) to head back to their dormitories for a full night of rest before the first day of classes. Willa wanted nothing more than to return to the glorious four-poster bed that was waiting for her in Ravenclaw tower. She hadn't spent many nights sleeping in fancy places, but she could definitely get used to it.

Lagging behind most of the students, Willa watched as the boisterous group of Gryffindors all but skipped out of The Great Hall—two handsome boys holding hands with two pretty girls as they went. Then there was a smaller blond boy who struggled to keep up, and the lycan who seemed pleased to let them run off ahead. He acted like he didn't have anything better to do but walk the school corridors, and Willa eyed him curiously from behind, flinching when he quickly turned and caught her gaze.

Her squeak of surprise melted into an uncomfortable, "Uhh..."

And, then the boy was stepping closer to her, getting taller, lankier, and more scarred with each stride until he was just a few feet from Willa. A part of her brain told her she should be a little scared. She was probably technically on his turf, after all. He must have been here longer than her, looked more like a man than a child, so he was probably close to his last year at the school. It was proper, when entering another wolf's territory, to show you were willing to submit, a display of honor and politeness, usually in the form of baring your neck.

That was outside, though, in the wild. Willa had a feeling those same rules didn't apply here, so instead of showing off her damn jugular, she lifted a hand and introduced herself. "I'm Willa."

[no, it was so good! i kept it shorter this time and left you something real to work with lol.]

@ asphalt heart.

Marlene had missed this, walking the halls of Hogwarts with her friends, being hand in hand with Sirius. She didn't want it to end. Seeing Sirius and James in the great hall standing on tables, making toasts, just being their normal happy selves was enough to lift her spirits a little.

"I'm feeling better now that I'm with you," she whispered before she kissed his cheek. "I missed you this summer," she added softly. If things had been differently she would've written to him more, she even would've found a way to visit him at the Potter manor at least once. However, things hadn't gone that way. She'd spend most of her summer interning with both her mum and dad in their respected jobs, on separate occasions of course, so she could get a lay of the land. They wanted her to keep all her options open about after Hogwarts, at least that's what they said. But Marlene wasn't an idiot. She knew they'd also wanted to keep her close so they could keep an eye on her. After all, she was the baby. The youngest of the McKinnon clan and the only girl, Marlene knew when her family was being over protective.

"I could go for a game of exploding snap," Marlene said taking a seat in her favorite arm chair next to the fire. "Just one though, we start classes tomorrow and I don't want to be up too late," she laughed. "So what did you do all summer since we didn't get to see one another? I feel like I barely got to enjoy my own. Between my parents and my siblings all trying to shield me from the outside world pretty much I didn't really get to enjoy it. It's like they all have forgotten how I was raised, the fact that I am a witch allowed to use magic outside of these walls, and in Gryffindor," she said sighing. There were times when she wished she knew what she needed to do to prove that Marlene wasn't a baby anymore and she was capable of standing up for what was right.

---

Remus smiled at the girl when he'd finally made his way through the crowd to get to her. He took her hand and shook it. "Remus," he replied biting his lip. "It's nice to meet you," he told her wondering if it was just himself that felt weird right now. Probably, because Remus was sure this was not how werewolves normally greeted one another. He didn't know for sure because he'd never met another werewolf, but he had a feeling. "I'm sorry if I'm being overly forward here," he told her. "Um - I've just never met someone else like me, so naturally I was a little curious. Also I didn't know that there was well more of us around here," he told her.

He really didn't know much about there kind, and he felt like a total idiot standing there in front of this rather pretty girl making a fool of himself. Yea he knew he wanted to meet her, but he was starting to feel like maybe he should've thought everything through so he knew what to say. God Remus pull yourself together

she probably thinks I'm an idiot too. God, my friends are going to have a field day with this if they find out.

Remus knew that if his friends could see this, and if they knew about this, which he was sure they'd probably learn about it, they would have a field day. They've given his crap for so long about how nervous he got around pretty girls. He just wasn't as charismatic as they were. He didn't have even close to the same skills they had, nor did he feel like he had the looks. He loved his friends, he was very thankful for them. Remus knew he would not have made it this far without them, but he couldn't help but compare himself to them at times.

Perched on the arm of Marlene's chair, Sirius passed out charmed cards, listening to the girl recount her summer. He felt bad for her. Her parents had always been a bit overprotective, and that would likely only get worse. At the same time, though, they only behaved like that because they loved her so dearly. Even Sirius could see that. It made his heart ache. The closest thing he had to that sort of innate protection was Prongs' family, and even then, Sirius couldn't help but feel like he was always imposing, no matter how many times they told him he was always welcome. Sirius could understand his girlfriend's frustrations. He really could. He spent most of his childhood and adolescence upset with his parents, but The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was overbearing in a different way from the McKinnon's. The Blacks demanded something of Sirius he could not give. It wasn't like that with Marlene's kin. They just wanted what was best for her.

"I don't think being sorted into Gryffindor is a selling point, actually," James quipped, laying down his first card. "In fact, that might be why they're so concerned in the first place."

Marls stuck her tongue out at the bespectacled boy, and Sirius didn't even have to look at her to know she was rolling her eyes, sassy little thing.

"I'm sure they know how powerful you are, babe. Things are just strange right now. They don't want anything happening to their little girl," Sirius pouted down at her, then added sincerely, "And, I don't want anything to happen to you either." She offered a small smile before flicking a card forward. "I know it's condescending, but your family is important 'round these parts. You are important. No one wants to see you hurt, whether it's because of one of those slimy mask-wearing gits or if it's in a Quidditch match."



"I-I didn't think," Willa shook her head. Her face was beginning to heat. "I mean, Dumbledore... He didn't mention there being another..."

Her mind was racing. Standing in the stone corridor, bodies brushing passed the two of them, Willa stared at this boy, Remus, and couldn't help but smile. She had been so scared about being alone this year at Hogwarts, of having nobody to talk to, and that may still be true, but just knowing there was someone else here like her... That meant something. Willa may not have had her parents, may have been completely pack-less, but at least she wasn't the only one.

She couldn't help but ask, though, "Do people know about you here? Your friends?" During her talk with the headmaster, Willa was made to understand it would be better for everyone if her lycanthropy was kept a secret. It would be safer for both her and her classmates. Was that the same for Remus?

[sorry this took so long. i got caught up with school discussion boards. ]
@ asphalt heart.

"This is why I'm so frustrated," Marlene said flicking another card down in front of her, "because I'm a McKinnon, auror blood runs through my veins. I mean my family has been on the front lines of keeping our world safe for as long as any of us can remember. You can trace the beginnings of the auror department back to my family. And I know that I am capable of living up to that. But I feel like they don't want me too. They would rather I do something simpler, all because I'm a girl; the first girl actually in three generations. How the hell is that fair to me?" She asked trying not to raise her voice.

Marlene knew what it meant to be a Mckinnon, just as she knew what it took to make it in the world. Was she scared of the future and what it held for everyone she cared about? Yes, but was she going to sit back and run away like a coward? No, she wasn't. Marlene Mckinnon was anything but a coward. Being seen as a coward was a bigger fear for her then dying, and that might've been insane for other people, but that's how she felt.

"Marls we all know you, you are braver then most girls I know. And I have no doubts that when we leave here you'll go on to do amazing things for our world. But your family is just looking out for you, probably because you are the first girl in so many generations. So they may not know how to deal with that. Don't let them discourage you though, don't let anyone discourage you ever. Us girls we have to stick together in this world, because until we prove that we are more than pretty faces and are capable of so much more than people think we will be stuck like this. Being told that we have to be protected, and things are too dangerous for us to get involved in," Lily said reaching a hand out to rest on Marlene's knee as she sent her a smile.

Marlene smiled and rested her hand on top of Lily's. "Thanks Lil,"

"Oi what are you two on about? You're acting like the worlds out to get you or something for being girls. When really we are all just looking out for your best interests," James said shaking his head and tossing down another card.

"James, that's the point we're trying to make. Do you two think because we're girls that it's your job to protect us?" Lily asked looking between both Sirius and James waiting for an answer.

---

Remus was quick to realize that she had no idea she wasn't the only werewolf at school, so she was probably just as shocked to smell him as he had been to smell her. "It is safer if people don't know what I am, that much I know. I don't know a lot about werewolves, even though I am one, mostly because I didn't grow up in a pack or even around other ones. I wasn't born this way and it's not exactly something my parents wanted for me. But I do know the stigma that follows us around wherever we go. I know that our kind is pretty much hated by everyone because it makes us different and unchecked we are just killing monsters who want nothing more than to do bidding for the Dark Lord," Remus said before running his hands over his face. This wasn't exactly how he thought he'd end up spending any of his time at Hogwarts doing, ever.

"There are only six people other than Dumbledore at this school who know that I am what I am. If I include you in that then seven people now. So I guess there's your answer. My friends know, but to my knowledge no one else does. And the way I see it it's for the best, I mean the one person who knows who isn't my friend won't say anything while we're here. I'm not sure what Dumbledore told him exactly, but I know he's the reason" He told her.

Remus was just glad that the people he cared about most knew his secret and were all willing to keep it for him. They were willing to love him through this, be there for him when he needed them. They were what friends are for. "I would be happy to introduce you to my friends if you wanted. I have a feeling that you would all get along. Well, you'd probably get along with Marlene and Lily really well. James and Sirius might take a while though, the two of them are a little harder to handle usually," Remus laughed hoping he wasn't overstepping here either in his assumption that she would even want to make friends. Maybe she already had, or maybe she didn't want to at all he didn't know, so he hoped he wasn't overstepping and upsetting her.

[ you're fine! I totally get it ]

"Okay, let me just give you girls a little lesson in what-it's-like-to-be-a-man-101," James began with a roll of his eyes, and Sirius braced himself. He knew his friend very well, and that tone did not bode well for either of their well-beings. "First of all--"

"Prongs, Prongs, Prongs," Sirius interrupted, casting him a nervous smile. "Don't insult their intelligence like that!"

Lily harrumphed, mumbling something under her breath, but Sirius devoted all of his attention to Marlene as he attempted to backpedal before the boys found themselves in trouble. "It's not that... I mean... I don't think you need to be protected. It's more like, er, well, it's like an urge, I guess?"

"A primal urge!" James all but shouted. "For we are men!"

"Shut it!" Sirius threw his remaining cards at the now chest-pounding boy who was woefully ignorant to the way his girlfriend was glaring at him. Sirius shook his head and looked back to Marlene, trying his best to explain himself. "I just. You know. I love you. I wholeheartedly believe that you are completely capable of taking care of yourself, but I'd still like to... Keep you out of harm's way... If possible."

"Wow," Peter drawled from his spot in front of the fireplace. Then, with mischievous eyes, the little shit teased, "You love her, Padfoot? That's embarrassing."

Lifting a palm to his face, Sirius groaned. He was about ready to test out the dormitory staircase, anything to get away from these arseholes. Still, he peered at Marlene through his fingers. He just wanted her to understand.

Marlene was strong, both in terms of magic and mental fortitude. She was brilliant and funny, and damn near impossible to say 'no' to. She was a force to be reckoned with. Sirius was well aware of all of this, but that undeniable protectiveness he felt for her was still there. He didn't think it came down to something as simple as gender. He was protective over all of his friends, even stupid Prongs and useless Wormtail. Did Sirius' more intimate interest in Marlene make that feeling a little stronger? Maybe so. But Sirius wasn't so daft as to ever believe he was stronger than her simply because he was male. Marlene could handle herself just fine. Sirius would just... Like to help her handle herself.

"Ignore them," he mumbled. "Do you sort of understand what I'm trying to say, though? I know how powerful you are, but if it came down to a choice between you and myself, I'd run straight into a line of hexes. Any day."



"I'd like that," Willa blurted before she could really think about it. She grimaced immediately after, could only imagine how pathetic and desperate she sounded, but it was out there now, so. "It's just... I do come from a pack. Or, I did, anyway. My parents and I, we ran with one, but h-he found us and wanted us to join him..."

Willa shook her head at the memory—their site getting raided by Death Eaters, everyone summoned to sit and listen to their propaganda. At the end, the werewolves were given a choice: join their cause or be murdered for being dirty half-breeds. Willa’s parents had basically snatched her up and started running, and she had been so proud of them for standing strong in their ideals, but every other lycan in the pack had agreed to join his ranks, and that was a disappointment Willa was still having trouble stomaching.

"It would be nice to have people again," she tried to explain. "I don't know if they'll like me. Hell, I don't even know if you will, but it's got to be better than sitting all alone in the tower for the rest of the year."

They both started walking somewhere between her brief flashback and final admission, shuffling slowly over the stone floors, and it was only when Remus actually came to a stop at the base of a staircase that Willa came to the realization that he was probably leading her toward Gryffindor quarters. That invitation hadn't just been for show, and suddenly Willa felt a little weak. Could it be that he was excited to have another werewolf around? He had said he'd never actually met another one, hadn't grown up around them, which meant his own lycanthropy was not... It was not a gift, like Willa and her pack saw it. Remus' condition was probably more of a curse, thrust upon him against his will.

Willa knew there was a stigma that surrounded her people, and she understood it, for the most part. There were some werewolves who cared only for bloodlust; they were the sort that gave everyone else such a horrible reputation. In the grand scheme of things, though, most werewolves were peaceful. They stuck to rural areas and made camps and villages so that when the full did hit, they would have plenty of animals to hunt. Lycanthropy was not an easy condition to manage when one was not prepared for it, but with the proper care and support, proper tools and space, it could be a blessing. Willa loved being able to run free, to tap into her most basic instincts. She loved being strong.

Of course, that strength is what got her stuck at Hogwarts in the first place. Funny how something so taboo could be so valuable.

Up a few moving staircases and Willa found herself standing directly in front of a portrait of a rather portly lady. This seemed quick. The last couple weeks had seemed quick, but this seemed especially quick. She and Remus had barely gotten finished sniffing each other out, and now she was going to meet his friends?

"Are you sure this is okay? It isn't breaking any rules?"

@ asphalt heart.

Marlene scoffed at James trying not to jump down his throat, she could pummel him if she wanted to really. However, as annoying as James could be he was easily one of her best friends and she wasn't going to stoop to that level. Rather she took a deep breath and listened to Sirius for once rather than losing control. "You'd really do that for me?" She asked him looking up at him with a small smile.

"At least my boyfriend has a brain," she shot towards James. "What's embarrassing about being in love?" She shot towards Peter. "The way I see this Sirius is the only one of you three who has any sense at all," she added rolling her eyes. It could be rather frustrating being a woman sometimes, always having to fight to make a name for yourself in the world. And she hated being treated like she wasn't capable of protecting herself. She couldn't help but appreciate Sirius as well though. His willingness to give up on his own life for hers. But the way he worded things wasn't the typical 'I have to keep you safe because you can't keep yourself safe'. The way he spoke it was more I will help you keep yourself safe because I love you. At least that's how she was choosing to take it.

"Please, I have plenty of sense," James scoffed clearly offended by the conversation being had.

"Right, okay," Marlene replied, "because you know everything there is to know about women? Look you may be smart, and I will admit you are easily one of the best troublemakers I've ever met, but when it comes to women you have no idea what you're talking about," she said shaking her head.

Lily stood up at the last comment not even planning to give James the time of day at the moment. "We should probably be heading to bed," She said not wanting to continue this conversation as it didn't seem to be getting them anywhere. "You ready Marls?" She asked ignoring the pout that fell onto James' face.

Marlene nodded her head, "yea, lets go," she said standing up completely in agreement that it was probably best to end the conversation and head to bed before things got to a point of no return with them all. Something she didn't want, and especially on their first night back together. "I'll see you in the morning," She told Sirius before kissing him briefly before pulling away from him, even though she didn't want to, and following Lily up to their dorm. She hadn't seen Sirius in so long, they hadn't had any alone time since before summer, and she wanted desperately to spend the night in his bed but she didn't. She knew Lily would not approve and she felt like she should wait a least a few days into the school year before she started breaking school rules.

---

Remus looked up at the fat lady who was giving him a knowing look, which he knew was because he had brought a girl from another house to their portrait. "It would be breaking the rules actually," he said sighing. "Technically since you're not in Gryffindor I don't know if you could walk through the portrait or not now that I think about it. I don't think my friends and I have ever even tried to let someone in here who wasn't in Gryffindor," he said realizing that this wasn't something that had ever happened before. He had broken a lot of school rules in his time at Hogwarts, he helped his friends figure out how to un jinx the stairs leading up to the girls dorms so they could sneak into when they wanted, but never once had they tried to sneak someone from another house into their common room.

"I am sure that you should meet them," Remus said biting his lip, "I am also sure that you will all get along well. But it might be better to meet them at breakfast," he added as he also realized that he had no idea what was inside the common room right now. For all he really knew he could walk in only to find Sirius and Marlene and Lily and James in snogging sessions given how long they'd been apart, or he could find the four of them plus Peter playing exploding snap before bed, but he could also easily find them in some kind of heated argument because while he knew they were a tight knit group tensions were high right now. And there was no way to really tell how his friends were responding to said tensions outside of the great hall, but if dinner had told him anything about them all it was that they were all stressed.

Remus rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm sorry I dug you all the way up here only to tell you to leave. But I hadn't really thought this plan all the way through," he told her. "I would be happy to meet you in the morning at the entrance to your common room then we can walk to breakfast together and I can introduce you to everyone when I can also tell what kind of moods they're all in," he laughed. He really didn't want them to embarrass him or even offend Willa without meaning to because they were in bad moods.

He was thankful she understood, and honestly he found himself looking forward to the morning when he would be able to see her again. After all, he'd always wanted a friend who could understand him on every level and she could.

When he walked into the common room he was thankful he hadn't brought her in with him because before he even had ask if something had happened he could feel the tension in the air. There were exploding snap cards thrown all over the common room floor, Peter was having some kind of laughing fit clearly amused by whatever had happened, the girls were no where to be seen, and James looked a little upset. "I clearly missed something pretty big," he said walking over and plopping himself down into the arm chair Marlene had been in only a few moment prior.

"Nah," James said picking up the cards in a frustrated manner. "I just apparently insulted my girlfriend and her best friend, found Sirius is the smartest one of the lot, and um oh yeah according to Peter here it's embarrassing to love. Did I forget anything?" He asked looking at his friends. "No, okay then you didn't miss much," he said sarcastically and clearly annoyed.

Remus wasn't even sure how to respond to his friend. "Where were you after dinner anyway?" Peter asked when he'd finally calmed down from the fit he'd been having. "You just vanished after dinner, and you missed quite a show,"

"No where, I just in the halls with a friend," he replied shrugging his shoulders. "I'll introduce you guys at breakfast, I think you'll like her," he said not wanting to make a huge deal out of everything because then he would never hear the end of their teasing, and there was nothing to tease about.

The arrival of Remus seemed to ease at least a little bit of the tension. He was always good at that, the group's mediator, whether he wanted to be or not. His odd evasion of the question of his whereabouts was a little troublesome, but at this point, Sirius was ready to crawl into bed. He could grill Remus in the morning before meeting this so-called 'friend'.

On their way up the stairs, a put out Prongs grumbled to Sirius, "You know I was only joking, right? I like strong women."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Maybe try telling them that sometime, mate, instead of talking like a bloody neanderthal."

"Also," James turned to Peter, apparently unaffected by the insult. "It is not embarrassing to be in love, you little worm. You just haven't experienced the marvel that is the female, probably never will."

"Merlin, someone's cranky," Sirius jabbed with a smirk. "Time to get ickle Prongs to bed."

James made a very crude gesture with his hands as they entered the seventh-year boys' dormitory where they all got ready to get some sleep.

Tensions had been... uncharacteristically high for their first night back at Hogwarts, what was usually such a cheerful affair. Sirius supposed it couldn't be helped. It had been a stressful summer, and as a group, the Marauders were devious at best and explosive at worst. It just came with the territory of too many brilliant wizards so close to one another, right? Right.



Willa felt relieved to be walking back to Ravenclaw tower alone. It gave her time to reflect on the events of the night and decompress before bed. She did want to meet Remus' friends, and she especially wanted to get to know him better, but on the first night? They had both gotten ahead of themselves. Still, Willa couldn't help but find the eagerness the other werewolf had shown to be a little... cute.

That was no way to be thinking right now, though. The world was on the brink of falling apart outside the castle walls. This wasn't the time to maybe be developing an interest in a boy.

Purely curiosity, she told herself as she got ready for bed. It was strange to meet someone so like herself yet so different. She couldn't imagine growing up without a pack. She wanted to learn more about what that had been like.

It was those thoughts that lulled Willa into a slightly restless sleep, thoughts of warm eyes and judgmental portraits. Thoughts of what the school year might have in store for Willa.

[omg i completely forgot about the portrait rules whoops.

The following morning Marlene willed herself out of her four poster bed so she could dress and head down to breakfast. And as her tradition for the last three years once she was dressed she made her way over to the boys dorm, to make sure her friends were up, mostly to make sure Sirius was up so they could go to breakfast together. Yes they still had at least an hour before breakfast ended, most people were likely still sleeping for just a few more minutes, but Marlene had always liked to be early to breakfast, mostly on their first day of classes. She quite enjoyed the peace and quite the great hall offered in the mornings before everyone was awake and running around. Plus the earlier you got there the sooner you could get your class schedule, and Marlene liked to be able to look over everything so she knew what she should expect. And while she didn't expect James to come with her, because he never did, and likely wouldn't unless Lily asked Marlene knew she could convince Sirius.

"Mornin'" Marlene called as she fell on to Sirius who was still laying in his bed. "Come to breakfast with me?" She asked looking over at him.

"Why must you do this every year?" Peter whined from the other side of the dorm as he pulled his pillow over his head.

Marlene rolled her eyes at the rest of the boys. "I agree, we just want to sleep," James mumbled throwing his hands in the air clearly reaching for his own pillow.

She chose to ignore them and instead smiled over at Remus who was already nearly ready. "Marls I do believe your efforts to get our dear friends up and ready this early have failed, again," Remus laughed. "But I'll go with you, I would even be willing to bring jars," he said before opening his trunk and pulling them out.

Marlene's smile spread across her face. "Remy! What would I do without-"

"have breakfast alone probably," James retorted still annoyed she'd woken him up.

"Still rude I see," she snarked at James, "Well, Remus bring your jars and as we promised last year we will store all the pumpkin spread for ourselves. And when these idiots we call friends complain that they didn't get any we can make it known that they should've gotten up earlier," she said before turning back to see Sirius smiling at her. And he looked so handsome even with his bed head that she couldn't resist. "I'll save you some though," she whispered to Sirius sending him a wink before she leaned forward to kiss him again.

"Let's go Marlene or I'll be forced to go about this myself," Remus called already walking towards the door.

"Sorry love," she whispered to Sirius pecking his lips one more time. "You know where I'll be though," she told him before running after Remus. "You will not go about this alone Remus Lupin! Pumpkin spread give me life!" She called as she ran to catch up to him.

---

Remus laughed as Marlene ran to catch up with him. This whole plan to pretty much hoard the pumpkin spread had been Marlene's idea, so he wouldn't ever really go about it without her. Of course, they wouldn't have needed to come up with this plan to hoard it all if it were available more than just this morning. That was part of the Hogwarts tradition though he supposed, every year on the first day there was a special pumpkin butter spread that was heavenly. Remus had actually never tasted something so delicious. But that was the thing it was only on day one that it was made. The rest of the year they had other amazing foods there were other pumpkin flavored things but none compared to this pumpkin butter on a nice warm piece of bread. And so he and Marlene the previous year had agreed to bring jars and hoard it so they could have it throughout the year. They were both fully prepared to keep it from their friends if need be as well.

"So where were you last night?" She asked him as they walked out of the common room and started to make their way down the stairs. "You just kind of vanished, you missed quite a show. James was a total neanderthal. Lily nearly put him in his place,"

Remus felt like thing may not have gotten quite out of hand with his friends if he had been there, but he'd had other things he wanted to take care of. Other things that he'd needed to deal with that were important. "I was with a friend. Actually, she's in Ravenclaw and I promised her we could walk to breakfast together this morning. You don't mind right?" He asked Marlene as he started to heads towards the Ravenclaw tower.

Marlene shook her head. "I don't mind. The more the merrier, and I'm sure she's much better company than James or Peter. Who might I add have both been in moods lately," she said rolling her eyes.

Remus laughed, it was always rather funny to him to see Marlene and James interact with one another. They bickered like brother and sister. Remus knew they would never cut ties with one another no matter how much they bickered, they'd known one another for so long after all, but it was always funny to watch them try and put the other one in their place.

"I think she's good company," Remus said smiling slightly. "I think she'll fit in really well with our group."

Marlene smiled at Remus, "any friend of yours is a friend of mine. So if you like her and want to hang out with her then I'm sure I will also,"

Sirius stayed in bed for a little longer than he should have. He knew he should have gone with Remus and Marlene, knew he should have made sure she was okay, but his bed was so comfortable and, honestly, he was not a morning person. Never had been, never would be. Besides, Marls told him she would save him some of that delicious pumpkin spread, so it wasn't like he would be missing out on anything other than some chirpy morning conversation.

The day was going to be a busy one. It was always a little difficult to adjust to the new school year after doing a whole lot of nothing over the summer. Quidditch wouldn't start for another couple of weeks which was bittersweet. On one hand, it was one less thing to worry about, but on the other, Sirius missed the game and was ready to play it on a full team again. He and Prongs had dicked around on their brooms in the Potter's backyard many, many times over the break, always playing with that damned snitch James kept on his person, whether it was flying around his head or in one of his robe pockets. One-on-one Quidditch was a far cry from an official match, though, and Sirius was ready to get back into the stadium, even if Prongs was the true hero of the game.

With just twenty minutes before breakfast would end, Sirius jostled his two friends awake, and the three boys got ready for the day. Lily was long gone, probably heading to the Great Hall shortly after Marlene and Remus, and James whined almost the entire walk downstairs about not knowing how to get back on his girlfriend's good side should she still be cross with him.

The hall was only about half full by the time the boys arrived, most students having already left for their earliest classes. Sirius grinned as soon as he caught sight of Marlene, though she seemed in deep conversation with Remus, Lily, and another girl who Sirius did not recognize, small with dark hair and in Ravenclaw robes. This must have been the friend Remus had mentioned. Sirius had never seen her before in his life.

Sirius took up the empty spot next to Marlene who only then noticed his presence. She immediately slid him a jar of the so sought after pumpkin spread, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek afterward and pointing to a piece of parchment Sirius recognized as his schedule.

"You're a goddess," Sirius beamed, quickly grabbing a scone from a platter in front of him. Then, flicking hair from his face, Sirius looked first to Remus, then to the stranger at the table. "Gonna introduce us, Moony?"



Pacing nervously outside of The Great Hall, Willa awaited the arrival of Remus and possibly his gaggle of friends. Meeting new people was not something she was used to (one of the many reasons Hogwarts was already so disorienting) as she had basically grown up around everyone she needed to know. She had both friends and family in her old pack. They learned together, played together, grew together. Every set of parents weren't just that to their own children but also to every other young lycan and vice versa. Everybody helped and looked out for one another. They were all each other needed.

So, to invite outsiders in, to join ranks with them...

Willa shook her head. She needed to stop dwelling on it. It would only upset her. Thankfully, she was distracted entirely by two approaching figures, Remus and a pretty blonde who offered Willa a sweet smile. Willa was fairly certain she had seen the girl the night before, but if she were being honest, she had definitely been more preoccupied with the werewolf boy.

"Good morning," Willa spoke to both of them, trying to smash down the butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't sure if the little buggers were due to the notion of talking with new people and opening up, or if it was because of Remus' kind brown eyes, or maybe because of just how intimidatingly beautiful his friend was. Either way, the fluttery sensation needed to go. It was just two people, after all.

Introductions were made on their way inside the Great Hall which was almost entirely empty so early in the morning, though the tables were stacked high with breakfast foods.

Remus' friend was named Marlene McKinnon, and though Willa could easily pick up on an air of nervousness rooted deep beneath the other girl's skin, she was extremely easy to talk to. Remus, Marlene, and all their other friends were seventh years like Willa. Unlike Willa, though, they had been at Hogwarts since they were eleven. Apparently, they were relatively well-known throughout the school, erring on the side of trouble makers, according to Remus, but the glint in his eyes made Willa think he may have been understating it a bit.

Willa mostly listened, munching on toast covered in an especially delicious pumpkin spread that both Remus and Marlene were obviously intent on hoarding. Eventually, though, the question of Willa's story was brought up, just in time for another girl to join them, a pretty redhead named Lily Evans.

Chewing slowly, Willa thought. Remus already knew of her lycanthropy, of course, but that was because she couldn't hide it from him even if she wanted to. Should she hide it from others, though? From his friends? They had kept his secret for this long, but they had also been friends since they were kids. Willa was a stranger.

She was supposed to be safe here, though, under the protection of castle wards and Dumbledore. The old wizard advised her to stay quiet—the less people that knew the better, but Remus' friends already knew about werewolves, so what was the worst that could happen? It wasn't as if any of them were Death Eaters.

"I'm like Remus," Willa finally said, nodding to the boy across from her, and when Marlene and Lily both frowned, Willa elaborated in a quieter voice, "A werewolf." She spent the next several minutes telling all of them about her family, eventually getting into why she had come to Hogwarts in the first place. "Nasty things are happening out there right now, and my parents didn't want to be a part of it. Even though neither of them attended Hogwarts, they both knew this was one of the safest places I could be, so... Here I am."

tbh, i didn't really know where to end this, so do with it what you will. sorry about willa's being so long. i was honestly gonna get into more introductions, but i didn't wanna take up more space lol. also, if we want to get into class schedules, i was thinking of maybe using this page's sample.
@ asphalt heart.

Marlene sighed after hearing what she was sure was only a part of Willa's story. It made her sad that seemingly innocent families were going through this, having to choose to either leave behind everything they'd ever known and be on the run from the dark lord, or stay behind and fight with him for such a bigoted cause. "I'm sorry you and your parents are going through this," Marlene finally said finding herself reaching out for Sirius' hand that rested next to her, she laced her fingers with his happy that she had him in her life during this time. Since they had become friends during their third year Sirius had quite honestly offered her a comfort that she couldn't explain, and that comfort had grown more when they'd started dating halfway through last year. Without him she wasn't sure where she might be right now.

"I can't speak for the rest of this lot, but your secret is safe with me," she told Willa sending her a smile. "And I'm happy to help you and your family anyway I can. Are your parents safe out there?" Marlene found herself asking. "I mean it is dangerous out in the world and I would hate for them to get mixed up with something while you're here," she said shaking her head. Clearly, there was going to be no escaping the war even while they were inside the walls of Hogwarts. Marlene refused however to let that put a damper on her whole year though. It was her final year at Hogwarts and she would make the most of it. "I only ask because over the summer actually my mum and I partnered with a couple of other people she knows from St. Mungo's to try and start a safe house for people who were on the run. And I would be happy to write to her and make sure your parents are okay," She said silently wishing none of this was happening, but sadly this was what the world they knew had come to.

Lily raised a brow at everything. "I can promise you that we're a safe group to trust with this," she told Willa also with a smile. Mostly because she could tell that Remus was happy to have someone like him as school for once. "And while this is the first time I'm hearing of this safe house, if the McKinnons have anything to do with it then I'm sure it would be perfect and likely very secretive," she said rolling her eyes at Marlene who just shrugged her shoulders.

"We haven't talked about my summer yet really," Marlene said sheepishly. "And I did tell you guys I was super busy. It's not like I could write to you all 'oh yea I'm helping my mum put together a covert safe house for people on the run from the dark lord wanna help?'. People are being kidnapped left and right out there, people are bring recruited, dying, everything. And according to my dad it wasn't safe to write a lot anyway. The ministry is monitoring the post and well he doesn't think everyone there is trustworthy, plus things have been getting intercepted. So if I would've wrote to you guys and then someone found out the whole thing would be blown to bits," she said softly as she didn't want to speak too loud in case there were people who could hear.

"Are you telling me Marlene McKinnon that you spent your summer working on a secret mission and didn't tell me?" James asked shocked that he was just now finding out about this, "I thought we were closer than that Marls,"

Marlene rolled her eyes at him before cutting her eyes at him. "We are closer than that James Potter, and you know that. I didn't tell anyone though because I couldn't. And I'm only speaking of it right now because Willa's family could be in danger and the whole reasons the safe house started was to help people who needed it,"

---

If there was anything Remus was happy to be right about it was that his friends would step up and be willing to let Willa into the group. Even though they were only just meeting her, and had no real reason to trust her he knew they'd do what they'd all done for him. Remus was sure it had something to do with his group of friends having the biggest hearts of anyone he'd ever known. Sure James, Sirius, and Peter even could be total jerks at times they were still always willing to go above and beyond to help him when he needed it. They had all after all broken the law and become illegal and unregistered animagi so they could spend every full moon with him. Yes, Marlene and Lily both had temper's that if not kept in check would get out of control, but they were also the kindest women he'd ever met in his life. Lily was always more than willing to bring him chocolate or soup or anything that she felt he might need around the time of the full moon, and Marlene would hex anyone and everyone who tried to say anything about him even when it landed her in detention for a month or longer in some cases. And he felt they'd do the same for Willa because they all were very good at looking out for the left out.

"That's amazing Marlene," Remus said with a smile. "It was your idea too wasn't it?" He asked her hoping to hear all about this project she'd started on. She nodded. Remus wasn't shocked that she'd had some kind of brilliant idea like that, she was always coming up with something or some way to help others. If anything Marlene was hands down the bravest girl he'd ever met.

"Willa, welcome to our club," Remus said laughing, but he felt like it was deserved after pretty much everyone agreed to keep her secret, which wasn't something any of them would do lightly.

"Don't let me pressure you into anything that your parents might not want though," Marlene said and biting her lip. "I know sometimes I can come a little strong and that even though the whole project was created to help people not everyone is willing to accept help. And I don't want to overstep or anything,"

Remus decided to finally look at his schedule while the girls all talked not wanting to interrupt anyone or get in the middle of what he knew was a rather important conversation. He held in his groan as well when he looked at it and saw that his first block of classes was going to be spent with the Slytherins. He didn't have anything against any of his classes other than maybe History of Magic because it was so boring, but he hated spending class time with the Slytherins, and he couldn't think of anything worse than starting his day off with them.

"Padfoot, Prongs, Wormy, want to compare schedules?" He asked the guys hoping that they would all at least suffer together. He knew it might not happen this year given this was their final year and everyone was mostly taking the final classes they needed for whatever career path they planned to take when they left, but he hoped they'd still have some together. That thought made him realize though that he had no idea what his friends planned after Hogwarts, other than of course likely finding ways to help out with the war. But surely they had plans other than just that.

[ it was fine! And yes that's such a good tool to figure out classes ]

Sirius wasn't sure he'd ever been so proud of his girlfriend, and that was saying something. Over the last few years, he had watched her grow into such a brilliant witch, a woman who wouldn't take any shit from anyone, and a good person. That was really what it was. Marlene was so good, and this news of the safe-house and her absolute lack of hesitation when telling Willa about it made Sirius beam. Thinking back on how put-out he had been over break for not getting many letters from her made Sirius feel rather foolish. Of course she would have done something like that over the summer. Marlene always wanted to help, anyone, anywhere. That was just who she was.

"I know you don't know me very well," Sirius started, looking at the still mostly unfamiliar girl, "Any of us, really, but we can all vouch for the McKinnons. They're good people, and if you're worried about your parents, I really think they could help."

The others nodded in agreement, and Willa, though she looked a little shocked, seemed to take the information in before stuttering out a grateful, "Th-thank you!"

Sirius squeezed Marlene's hand then leaned over the table to look at everyone's schedules. They started the day with the Slytherins which was... Not ideal, but at least that meant-- "Looks like we'll be getting an early start on tormenting Snivellus."

A grape soared through the air and hit Sirius right in the forehead. He turned to its source, a glaring Lily. "Guys, you're seventh years now. Are you really going to keep picking on him?"

"Come on," Sirius drawled while smirking. "What's that slimy git really gonna do?"

"Oh, I don't know, tell the headmaster."

"Poison all of us."

"Tell everyone about Moony." Both Remus and Willa paled at that.

"Okay, okay," Sirius held his hands up, mouth falling into a pout. "Maybe... We can wait a bit before hexing him."

They all scarfed down the rest of their breakfast before making their way from the hall. The seventh year Gryffindors would be heading to the greenhouses while their brand new friend had the pleasure of starting the day with double Transfigurations.

"Oof, good luck with that," Sirius told Willa as they separated. Professor Sprout was much easier to deal with in the morning. Waking up bright and early to McGoogly seemed like a little bit of a nightmare.

His friends seemed to share his feelings, "That's bad luck, that is," Wormtail voiced once they were out of earshot, followed by Prongs commenting, "What a shite way to start wizard school, am I right?"



Okay, okay, that was fine. They were fine, Willa thought to herself. A little loud, but she was used to loud, living with a pack before this. Everyone was nice, at least. Extremely nice, actually. Willa would really like to talk to Marlene about the safe house more in depth. Somewhere for her parents to hide and be protected... That was all Willa really wanted at this point. The fact that the girl had offered it up so easily was also admirable. Willa had been quick to decide that she liked the blond girl. Even if she didn't know her very well, Marlene was very kind.

Willa's nerves at meeting new people dissipated only to be replaced with the nerves that came with her first formal class. Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Willa had, of course, already spent time with the older witch when she had first arrived at Hogwarts, but that didn't quell any of her anxieties. Despite McGonagall being nothing but accommodating and understanding to the Briar family, she exuded a powerful aura and was very intimidating. And, that was outside of the classroom. Willa couldn't imagine what it would be like to be under McGonagall's scrutiny, judged for her work in her class. The fact that Sirius had wished Willa good luck before splitting off did not help matters.

Willa took up one of the back corner seats of the classroom, later joined by one of the other Ravenclaw girls in her year. "Professor McGonagall is nice as long as you work hard," she assured Willa with a friendly smile. "And, as Ravenclaws, we're good at working hard, right?"

"Er, right," Willa replied uneasily. She had, after all, only been a Ravenclaw for a few days. How was she supposed to know if she even fit in with them?

"Our boyfriends are idiots," Lily said walking up to Marlene and linking their arms together as they watched The Marauders walk ahead of them all towards the greenhouses.

Marlene nodded in agreement, "that they are, but at least they're cute idiots. So are you still cross at our dear Jamesy for last night?"

"I'm pretty much over it, but I am going to make him sweat for a couple of days. I'm sure that will make him think twice before pretty much insulting us," Lily laughed.

She had James wrapped around her finger, of course everyone knew that, and it was quite hilarious to watch her wield her power over him the way she did; Even if it didn't always get the results that she wanted. "It probably won't make him think twice about it, because James is an idiot who doesn't think things like that through. Ask him to pull a prank on someone he will plan out every detail perfectly so that it goes down without a hitch. He's super smart. He's so intelligent, he has a lot going for him. But at his core he's an idiot."

"You're probably right," Lily laughed, either way it was fun to make James squirm. She loved him and she had no intentions on breaking up with him, but that didn't mean she couldn't make him squirm to try and teach him to think before he spoke. "I know you didn't really talk to Sirius this summer because you were clearly rather busy, but did you by chance talk to him about the thing we spoke about before school summer started?" Lily asked glancing at her friend.

Marlene sighed and shook her head. "I didn't. It was so crazy that day I barely even got to tell him goodbye before we were both heading in opposite directions. That's not exactly a conversation I want to have with him on the train ride home before I pretty much ghost him all summer. And well you know how it is on the train, the boys are always goofing off. It's just something we need to talk about one on one. Face to face,"

"You should do it soon though, I don't want you to lose your nerve or talk yourself out of it. He loves you, even if he doesn't say it all the time we both know he struggles with showing emotions like that to most people but he shows emotions with you. So I'm sure that the conversation will go a lot better than you let yourself believe,"

Marlene nodded her head, she knew Lily was right. She needed to just pull him aside and talk to him. There was nothing to be scared of, Sirius loved her and she loved him back which meant it had to go well.

---

"Oi there they are," James said waving his arms around like a manic as if trying to get the girls' attention.

"I think they know where we are," Remus laughed as he rolled his eyes at his friend. "It's not exactly like we're hidden behind massive plants and they can't see us. And even if they couldn't they've easily found us after hearing your loud voice," he added quickly before moving out of dodge as he knew the moment he'd said it James would retaliate.

"Boys please," Professor Sprout called as she walked in right in the middle of James and Remus' little playful scuffle. "Behave yourselves. I know this is your final year but you would do well to remember that you are still students under my rule currently as this is my class. And as always I ask that there is no goofing off in this greenhouse. Some of these plants are very dangerous, and it would not be wise to not upset them,"

Remus and James both stood back up and nodded. "Sorry Professor, it won't happen again," they said clearly not upset that they'd gotten caught being themselves.

It was fairly obvious that Professor Sprout knew that wasn't very likely. This was their final year, so most of the teachers likely were expecting all the Marauders to be more rowdy than they normally were. "Well, let us begin," she said walking to the end of the table where she always stood so the whole class could hear her. "We are going to mostly be doing review this year to get you all prepared for your N.E.W.Ts. And we're going to be starting off with Venomous Tentacula's. So I want you all to partner up, get your gear together, and then each pair will take what they learned from last years lesson and apply that today. I am also going to request that you each hand in a roll of parchment by the end of the lesson naming the uses of this particular plant and why it's important," she said ignoring the loud groan made by most of the students.

Remus sighed and ran his hands over his face before glancing up at his friends, and he was pretty sure he knew exactly who was going to pair up with who. Only before he could walk over to Peter, his usual partner since his other friends had gone off and started dating Lily walked up to him. "So partner, you ready to go over these things again?" She asked him with a smile.

"You're trying to make James sweat aren't you Evans?" He asked with a sly smile, and she nodded her head. "Why not," he said shrugging it off. He and Lily were friends, they did hang out without James though usually just to go to the library or during quidditch matches but still. And he honestly was fine making James sweat a little over Lily, because it was quite funny to watch him grovel from time to time. Kept him humble almost, which he needed on occasion. "Sorry Petter but you're stuck with Prongs today," he said shrugging his shoulder and trying not to laugh at the pout that fell across James' face.

"So, I'm thinking about asking Marls about moving in together after graduation," Sirius voiced as he walked with Lily and Remus down the corridors, his fingers laced together and cradling his head. "Do you think it's too soon?" Lily snorted, muttered something under her breath that Sirius couldn't make out, and shook her head. "I mean, things have been going really well between us. It's only natural, right? It's what couples do. Natural order of things, and all."

With a deep sigh, smile playing at the corners of her mouth, Lily told him, "I think you should just bring it up to her. Sooner rather than later."

Sirius regarded the redhead with raised eyebrows. She had a knowing sort of look in her eyes. It was unnerving. Whenever Lily Evans looked at you like that, it usually meant she was plotting, never good for any parties involved.

Eventually, the trio made their way to their destination which was, in fact, the infirmary. As soon as they walked in, Madam Pomfrey held a finger to her lips then motioned to one of the last beds where James was sitting up stiffly, pouting at the glass of off-color liquid in his hand, no doubt an antidote. There was a rather ugly spot on his forearm where the Tentacula had stabbed him.

"Oi! You arseholes!"

"Mr. Potter!" Madame Pomfrey admonished, though that was about as far as she got before James was speaking again.

"You see what happens when you pair me with Wormtail?!" Sirius smirked, but Lily paced over to her boyfriend and ran a hand through his damp hair. He was probably fighting a fever. "Neither of us have the focus to look after that god-forsaken plant. We make a horrible team!"

"Obviously," Sirius said, motioning to him for emphasis. "It's your own faults, though, not ours."

"Not yours, Padfoot. Theirs," James said, pointing between Remus and Lily who rolled her eyes. "So insistent on punishing me that you put me in danger."

"Keep it up, and you're going to be in danger all over again," Lily warned. James was pushing his luck.

Remus kept quiet, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the exchange.

"Where is Wormy, anyway?" Sirius questioned. He had seen their smaller friend leave the greenhouse right behind Prongs and Professor Sprout, figured he'd be in here groveling despite the fact that this whole thing was only half his fault. The kid was nowhere in sight, though.

James shrugged, took a gulp of his medicine and grimaced before answering, "Probably snuck into the kitchens to stress eat. You know how he is when he's upset. Where's Marls?"

"My wonderful girlfriend is still in the greenhouse clipping Venemous Tentacula so that you and Peter will actually have samples to study to finish the project from today."

"Bless her. She's a saint."

"You don't have to tell me that."



Transfigurations was not as difficult as Willa thought it would be, but it was by no means easy. She had always been a bit of a natural with many spells, but Willa still lacked a lot of the finesse that other students had. It would take practice, but she wasn't so behind that she wouldn't be able to catch up. The nod of approval she had gotten from McGonagall on the way out of the classroom had also felt nice.

Her next period was Muggle Studies which was equally parts strange and interesting. As someone who had grown up in the world of magic, muggles were confusing to Willa, but so was normal magic society considering she had spent most of her life in a remote village of sorts.

Lunch, directly after that, was loud and nearly overwhelming in terms of aroma. There was just so much going on. It threatened to give Willa a headache. From where she was sitting with some other girls from her dorm, Willa could see the familiar group of Gryffindors at their table, suspiciously down one James Potter. She wondered where he was. Eventually catching her gaze from across the hall, Sirius, Marlene, Lily, and Remus all waved and grinned at her, and to Willa's delight, waited for her once lunch was over in order for them to walk to class together. Or, walk to the point of having to split off for different classes.

"Where's James?"

"Infirmary," Sirius answered simply, and Peter shrunk into himself beside him.

Frowning, Willa quickly asked, "What? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Lily waved a hand. "Got nicked with some Venemous Tentacula in Herbology today. Luckily, Professor Sprout keeps a bit of the antidote in the greenhouses, just enough for him to, you know, not die. He got more from Madam Pomfrey and should recover fully by tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, he's just a bit woozy and feverish right now," Sirius added.

Willa blinked at the two of them in alarm, eventually turning to peer up at Remus. Venemous Tentacula was supposed to be extremely dangerous, fatal in most cases.

"Why in the hell would they even have students working with a plant like that?" She couldn't help but ask, confused by the hearty laughter she received in response.

"Oh, sweetheart," Lily grinned. "Hogwarts may be safe from most outside forces, but inside these wards... Let's just say Dumbledore makes some questionable decisions when it comes to curriculum."

"And staffing."

"And punishments."

Willa gulped.

[sorry this took so long also, i'm not positive on what you had marlene referring to earlier about talking to sirius, but i made an educated guess and thought it would be them moving in together and i thought it would be funny if they were both on the same page without knowing lol]

Marlene laughed along with her friends as they walked down the hall towards their next class, honestly, it was always interesting to see how new students would take to some of the more absurd things that went on at Hogwarts. "As long as you follow instructions given, pay attention, and always partner with someone you trust then you'll be fine," Marlene told her hoping she was able to adapt easily. It had to be hard showing up to a new school surrounded by nothing familiar, and all during the final year at Hogwarts for herself.

"James wouldn't be in the hospital wing right now actually if he would've just followed instructions, or ever paid attention in Herbology, or even listened to me when I very clearly told him not to do the very thing he did right before he got stung," Marlene added shaking her head. "Most of the things you're going to be learning about this year are N.E.W.T level which means it is a lot more dangerous and difficult. Not because anyone wants to play some sick joke on us, but because they are preparing us for a lot of different careers after Hogwarts,"

"If you couldn't gather Marls here is pretty passionate about school. And mothering her friends," Peter called from behind everyone, as he was once again at the back of the group.

Marlene did care about her friends, and the way she saw it if she didn't mother them they'd be lost. Hell, they were still lost at times even when she did mother them.

"What class do you have now anyway Willa?" Lily asked wondering if they would have to split from her again or if they would be able to spend the next hour and a half with the Ravenclaws.

"I do care about you guys Peter, all of you," Marlene shot back, "and sometimes I think you boys think you're invincible, like rules don't apply, or like somehow your antics aren't as dangerous as they really are," she said shaking her head and sighing.

"We're The Marauders, our antics are part of who we are," Peter said looking between his friends. "Back me up guys,"

---

Remus heard the whole conversation going on between Peter and Marlene and wasn't sure which side he should really be on. Peter did have a point, they were The Marauders, and no one really expected any differently from them. This was also their final year at Hogwarts and while today was only day one he knew things were going to get a lot more out of control.

But the reasonable part of him could understand why Marlene was so concerned. After all, James had gotten stung by a pretty dangerous plant that could've killed him were the Professors not always prepared for things like this. And James being himself, had done exactly what she'd told him not to. When it came down to it though he realized he kind of did have to agree with Peter. "Wormy has a point Marls, I mean our antics are part of who we are. And in we're being honest had you decided to pair off with Peter or me even leaving James to partner with Sirius, who he would've chosen and we all know it, they'd probably both be in the hospital wing right now. Because getting into trouble, finding ourselves in rather sticky situations, but always bouncing back from it, that's all in our nature," he said shrugging his shoulders and sending Sirius a sheepish grin.

"I don't want you guys to not be yourselves," Marlene said biting her lip before she sighed as she realized her best option was going to be letting the boys be themselves even if that meant they did stupid things that got them hurt, hopefully they were all smart enough to stop before things got them actually killed. "And it doesn't matter what I think anyway, you're all still going to run off and be insane even if I tell you not to,"

Remus laughed because she was right. Even if she, Lily, and even Willa told them not to do something until they were blue in the face, the boys would likely still do it. "You have Charms next right?" Remus asked Willa when he realized that Lily had asked her what class she had next. "I know we all have charms next and I think I remember seeing that we had that with the Ravenclaws," he said hoping he hadn't come off as totally weird knowing her schedule.

"If I'm right you'll love it. Professor Flitwick is super easy going. His work is also always super easy to grasp. I mean it takes
a lot of concentration, practice, and perfect pronunciation to get the charms to work but he makes it easy to grasp. He'll spell everything out if you ask him to, making sure to put accents on the letters that need them and everything. And he's super understand," Remus said knowing that Flitwick was easily one of his favorite professors.

[ you're fine! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this reply up! I've been trying to reply for hours now but I got super distracted talking to my roommate lol. Anyway that's exactly what I was going to have her talk to him about so it will work out perfectly and it is kind of funny this way lol. Actually, I was thinking maybe one of them could ask the other one to go to Hogsmeade that up coming weekend then they would have somewhere cute yet also kind of private to talk about it ]

In Charms, everyone sat close together, a clump of seven teenagers that giggled their way through class, though everyone knew to shut up when Flitwick gave them that look. Sirius knew his group of friends were all pretty skilled in the class, even Peter, so they didn't really have to worry about grades. They definitely did have to worry about detention, though. It would be nice to make it through at least a few days without getting into trouble.

Naturally, after class, the little professor asked them all to stay behind, even Willa who had turned so red when she was caught whispering to Remus, Sirius thought she might actually transform into a tomato. They all stood before Flitwick, fidgety and apologetic.

"Please don't make me separate the lot of you. You're seventh years now. Practically adults!"

"We're sorry, Professor," Sirius told him. "Right, guys?"

"Oh, yeah, absolutely," James agreed, swaying on his feet (still a little woozy from his medicine), and he nudged Wormtail who squeaked out an unconvincing, "Won't happen again!"

The teacher eyed them all through a narrowed gaze, apparently not worried about hurting feelings when he told Willa, "I know you're new here, Miss Briar, so allow me to be the first to warn you about these hooligans. They get into trouble. Often. If I were you, I'd search for other friends."

"Professor, are you trying to wound me?" James asked in mock offense. "Because you have succeeded." Lily elbowed him right in the ribs.

"Hush, Potter," Flitwick dismissed him, eyes still on Willa. "Consider it. They may be talented, but they are Hogwarts' biggest troublemakers. Don't let them drag you into their silly antics."

Once they were dismissed, Sirius clucked his tongue. "Well, he really laid it on thick."

"Yeah, definitely didn't hold anything back," James nodded.

"I'm actually a little hurt," Lily confessed. "I didn't think we were that bad. At least, not Marls and I."

"Oi!"

Sirius looked to his quiet girlfriend who just shrugged her shoulders. She had been fairly quiet for most of the day, which made Sirius a little nervous, especially considering he really needed to talk to her.

He waited until after dinner, after she'd had a bit of food and had shared a few laughs with Lily. It looked like her mood had lightened quite a bit, so on their way back to the Gryffindor common room, Sirius decided it was a good time to ask what he wanted to.

"Students are allowed to go to Hogsmeade this weekend. Fancy a date at The Three Broomsticks?"

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Hanging out with the rowdy boys and the two very friendly girls was extremely enjoyable. Willa found it easy to talk with all of them and was so grateful for their company. Even if she wasn't able to spend evenings in their common room, sharing classes and some meals was enough for her. Besides, she liked the girls in her dormitory enough to not dread joining them every night.

Apparently, on certain weekends, third year students on up were allowed to visit the nearby village of Hogsmeade. Willa heard people talking about it even on the first day. It seemed like everyone was really looking forward to it as it had all kinds of different shops--candy stores, ink and paper, a joke shop, and a popular bar that, according to Mabel in her dorm, served "the best Butterbeer in the country."

Willa found herself surprisingly excited. It sounded like a nice way to unwind after a week of classes. She needed a break from all her stressors.

Marlene's words still hung heavily in her mind, the invitation for Willa's parents to stay at the safehouse. Once school was finished for the day and Willa had some time for herself, she wrote a short letter in the privacy of her large bed, pulling the sheer curtains so that they hung down from the canopy. She didn't want any of the other girls seeing and asking questions.

Mum and Dad,
I've met some very nice people at school. They've been welcoming and have set my mind at ease about a lot of things. One of them told me that she and her family established a safehouse over the summer. It's for anyone who needs protection from everything going on, and she told me that you two are more than welcome. I know I need to be careful with who I tell about our situation, but this group has already proven their trustworthiness. I'm extremely grateful for them.
Anyway, please think about the offer. It would help me loads to know you two were safe.
With love,
Willa

After rolling up the parchment, Willa used her last hour before bedtime making her way to the owlery, tying the letter to a barn owl that nipped at her a couple times before taking off. She watched it disappear into the night sky, hoping and praying it would make it to her parents and that they would make the right decision so that Willa could fully relax.

[ugh okay i'm sorry this took so dang long.]

"We haven't been on a date in ages," Marlene said smiling up at her handsome boyfriend before nodding her head, "of course, I'll go with you," she added before kissing him. It would be nice to be alone with Sirius again, just the two of them. She could finally bring up the couple of things that she knew she needed to talk to him about. And while Marlene had little doubt that if she asked Sirius to buy and move into a home with her he would say no, the prospect of asking made her slightly nervous. Living together was different then just visiting, it was taking a step to the next level in their relationship and all she could do was hope they were both ready for that. The other thing Marlene needed to talk to Sirius about though, well that would be more difficult, and truthfully she didn't know how he, or anyone else when she told them, would react.

However, Marlene wanted Sirius to be the first to know about her future. He was who she planned on spending her future with, his opinion mattered to her more than anyone else, and she loved Sirius with every fiber of her being. So of course she would want to tell him first about her plans for after Hogwarts, and about the program she had applied and been accepted into after Hogwarts.

"By the way James, here's the samples you and Peter need for your Herbology," Marlene said pulling the clippings out of her bag and tossing them over to James.

"You're a saint Marls, thank you." He replied happy he wasn't going to fail his first day of Herbology, that wouldn't look good on his part.

Marlene shrugged her shoulders, "you're welcome. It wasn't a big deal though really,"

"So are you going to write your mum a letter? About Willa and her family?" Lily asked as the girls headed up to their dorm, after they had of course mingled for a bit.

Marlene nodded her head, "I'm going to send one tomorrow. So are you and James going to Hogsemade together this weekend?"

"We are, and I will make sure that James is too distracted spending time with me to involve Sirius in any antics. Because I know you want alone time with him, and because I would like alone time with my boyfriend as well,"

If there was anyone who could keep James Potter from causing some kind of trouble in Hogsmeade it was Lily. And Marlene was thankful that someone could do it, because she desperately needed to talk to Sirius, alone.

---

"Are you going to ask Willa to go to Hogsmeade this weekend Moony?" James asked his friend as they also made their way up to their dorms. "Because I think you should,"

"I was thinking of asking her if she would like to go with us, as friends," Remus said but he realized as soon as he said it he knew that wasn't what was going to happen. "But I have a feeling by the looks both of you are giving me that we are not going as friends which means that it would be fruitless," he sighed.

Remus felt like he should have known better. Of course, Sirius and Marlene would take this chance to go on a date alone. And he was sure that Lily and James would be doing the same. And while it would be much easier for him to persuade James and Lily to let him and Willa tag along than it would Marlene and Sirius, he shouldn't. None of them had really spoken in full about their summers but from the little he did know no one had had a good one. Plus Remus didn't want to overstep and get in the way of their relationship. He knew how long James had been waiting to date Lily Evans, he also knew that Lily was a lot like Marlene in the sense that she valued one on one time with people.

"You should still ask her if you want to go with her though," Peter piped up, which Remus smiled at. "I mean I think I'm going to ask Leta Travers," he added leaving Remus even more alone.

"And here I thought it would be the four of us against the world," Remus joked as he fell onto his bed, "but instead you have all abandoned me for women, even you Wormy," he laughed. He had no idea who this girl was as he'd never heard Peter talk about her before and Remus knew a lot of people from his own year and that name didn't sound familiar, so maybe she was younger.

He decided then and there that he would in fact ask her even if it was just going to be the two of them. Maybe she'd want to come, and he would make it known that he just wanted to go as friends, because he didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. Plus he did want to be friends wit her, and if he wanted anything else from the friendship he didn't know. He barely knew her, but he was also very intrigued by her.

"And here I thought Sirius was the dramatic one," James laughed from his own bed, only for a pillow to be thrown across the room.

"Thus proving my point Padfoot," James said throwing the pillow back, "we'll always be friends Moony. We're not going to abandon you for girls all the time. This weekend needs to be date weekend because ya know Sirius and I have girlfriends who demand our attention. But next time it'll just be us boys. And we'll get into all the trouble,"

Remus wasn't sure if his friends knew how important they really were to him. He didn't know if they knew how much he truly appreciated their friendship. Honestly, Remus was positive that if he had not met his friends that he would still be alone. He would likely have kept his secret to himself and never told anyone. He felt like he would've also really hated Hogwarts and how different he felt here all the time. But his friends help him not feel that way and he would never be able to repay them for everything they had given him.

"Sounds good," Remus said before they all turned off their lights and headed to bed.

The following morning as Remus made his way to the breakfast table with Marlene and Lily he decided to ask them for help asking Willa to Hogsmeade without making anyone uncomfortable. And by the time he saw her he was pretty comfortable.

He smiled at Willa when he saw her at the table. "So, Willa since you've never been to Hogsmeade I would be happy to show you around this weekend if you wanted me too," he said as he started to pile some food onto his plate.

[ You're fine Lol. ]